Rope climbing device



Oct. 22, 1957 s. 'PULA 2,810,504

ROPE CLIMBING DEVICE Filed Jan. 6. 1955 36 Stephen IN VEN TOR.

W EM United States Patent ROPE CLIMBING DEVICE Stephen Pula, Adams Dale, Mass.

Application January 6, 1955, Serial No. 480,215

3 Claims. (Cl. 227-25) The present invention relates to a handy, practical and reliable device through the medium of which one, properly utilizing the same, may ascend or descend a vertically suspended rope, cable or the like.

The purpose of the invention is to enable one to escape, for example, from a burning building, or to enable one to climb a tree or a pole, or to in this manner do certain requirements in steeplejack work, to scale a rope attached to tree limbs for certain activities in work where places thereon would be substantially inaccessible using a conventional ladder. Then, too, the device lends itself for use, within reason, for mountain climbing activities. Briefly and broadly, then, the device is one which enables its user to ascend or descend a suspended rope, pole or the like for whatever purposes and requirements are, at the time, involved.

The art to which the invention relates teaches the use of many and varied yet similarly constructed and performing adaptations. One may say that it is old in the art, for example, to utilize a slide such as a sleeve or a hub member on a suspended rope and to provide levers with gripping jaws and the like to catch hold of the rope when properly manipulated by the user for ascension and descension requirements. With a view toward advancing the art the present invention has to do with a structurally distinct and novel construction in which manufacturers, users and others will find their respective requirements and needs not only aptly taken into account but efiect-ually met.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention, simple blocks are employed. That is to say, a centrally apertured cubical block provides the collar-like slide and elongate rectangular blocks are hingedly attached thereto and cooperate with the underside thereof and these provide the gripping jaws. On their inner surfaces, they have antislipping rubber or equivalent inserts to frictionally grip the rope or equivalent part. On their outer sides, they are provided with suitably constructed foot accommodating stirrups.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rope climbing device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in section and elevation showing the device applied to the rope and on a scale sufliciently large to bring out the details and their mode of construction and cooperative use;

Figure 3 is an elevational view showing one position of the user, that is, when the rope is clasped between the hands and the knees are elevated just prior to making a move up the rope; and

Figure 4 is a similar view based on Figure l and showing how after the grips have been engaged with the rope ICC 2 in Figure 3, the user stands up to take a new hold for the next ascension step on the rope.

Referring now to the drawings, the first block, which is square, is denoted by the numeral 6, and this has a central hole 8 therethrough to accommodate the rope,'cable or other element 9. This block constitutes a hub or collar. The elongate rectangular blocks 10-10 are more in the nature of arms, and these are connected by hinges 12-12 to the required opposite marginal edge portions of the hub block 6. More specifically, the upper leaves of the hinges are connected, as at14, to the block 6,

and the lower hinges 16 are fastened at 18 to the upper V exterior surface ends of the arms 10. The hinge pin knuckles are denoted at 20 and are conventional. The point is to note that the hinges are so arranged that the upper ends 22 22 of the arms swing beneath and abut the bottom surface of the hub block 6 when the arms are in close-together gripping relationship. The interior surfaces of the respective arms have cut-outs or equivalent recesses 24 into which rubber inserts or the like 26 are fitted and secured by suitable fasteners 28, in the manner shown in Figure 1. Thus, these grippers constitute clamping jaws and may be moved at will toward and from the rope. The means for accomplishing this comprises simple stirrups. These stirrups are denoted by the numerals 29 and 30, one for the left foot and one for the right foot, as shown in the drawings. Each stirrup comprises a step member 32 having an end portion 33 extending into a socket 34 provided therefor and a metal or equivalent curvate guard 35 whose lower end 36 is secured to the step and whose upper end is laterally bent, as at 38, and secured to the intermediate portion of the cooperating arm. Thus, the device is in readiness for use.

In operation, it will be seen that the users feet are placed in the stirrups and the desired balance is kept by holding the rope at about face level. To ascend, one pulls himself up by his hands and, spreading his feet apart, opens the grippers and then lifts his feet by bending the knees, as shown, for example, in Figure 3. Then, bringing his feet together and grabbing the rope at a higher point, he can raise or pull himself up with his hands and thus utilize the stirrup and hands in proper sequence to ascend. To descend, the same procedure is followed except that one opens the device when the knees are bent and lowers his grip of the rope with his hands, allows the hub or device to slide down to his point of convenience, brings his feet together again so as not to grip the rope by the rubber inserts and repeats until he is at a point where he wishes to stop.

Since the invention appears to be aptly illustrated in the drawings and described in the detailed description, it is believed that the reader will now be in a position to comprehend the features and advantages as well as the operation thereof. For this reason, a more extended description is thought to be unnecessary.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A device for ascending and descending a rope in a step-by-step manner comprising, in combination, a block providing a hub member and centrally apertured and thus adapted to slide up and down on a rope passing through said aperture, a pair of elongate blocks complemental to said hub block and providing arms, said arms being in opposed relationship and being provided on their inner surfaces with rubber inserts adapted to frictionally grip an intervening rope, the upper ends of said elongate blocks abutting the underside of the hub block and being hingedly connected to opposite marginal side portions of said hub block, and outstanding stirrups carried by the lower end portions of said elongate blocks.

2. A rope ascending and descending device comprising a centrally apertured hub block having a flat bottom sur face, a pair of opposed elongate arm-forming blocks having flat upper ends underlying and abutting said flat bottom surface and hingedly connected to cooperating marginal portions of said hub-block, said arm-blocks having flat opposed interior surfaces provided with-recesses, rubber anti-friction gripping: elements fitted and secured in their respective recesses, andstirrups attached to the intermediate'portions'of said "arms.

3. A device for ascending and descending a rope in a step-by-step manner comprising-in combination, a. first relatively small cubical block provided with a flat bottom and constituting 'a hub member and centrally aperturedand thusadapted to permit the passage of a rope therethrough for movement of theblock up and'downonthe rope, a pair of elongate blocks complementahto said hub block and constituting arms, said blocks being rectangu-v lar in cross-section and having flat upper ends which, when the armsare in certain positions, firmly abut the underneath side of said hub 'block, leaf hinges having leaves fastened to the proper block and to the exterior surfaces of the upper end portions of the elongate blocks and permitting said elongate marginal edges of the hub 4' blocks to swing toward and from each other on the hinge pivots relative to the hub block, the inner opposed surfaces of said elongate blocks being recessed, rubber anti-friction elements fitted and secured in their respective recesses, a foot piece afiixed at one end to and extending laterally from the lower end portion of-each elongate block, and a curvate guard having one end secured to the outer end of the foot piece and having its upper end secured to the intermediate portion of the elongate block, each-foot piece and accompanying guard constituting a stirrup to accommodate the intended foot of the user, said stirrups permitting said elongate blocks to be hingedly swung-toward and away from each other.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Dec. 14, 1928 

